There is a serious shortage of some prescription medicines in SWF and elsewhere at present. Common medications like ramipril, co-codamol, and dispersible aspirin are affected. Please see the attached generic NHS leaflet. Please do not blame pharmacy staff or GP surgery staff; it isn’t their fault.

Sunday 31 May 2026

Updated and new items first:

PLEASE watch the short explanatory video https://youtu.be/nnGLc2EVXX0, and tell us what you want from Neighbourhood Health by completing our survey by 14 June https://warwick.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9uYcv6y4zybHzSu . This is your opportunity to shape the direction of local health and social care – and it may be the only one we get. Speak now or forever hold your peace! We’re running an independent academic research project about Neighbourhood Health to see what patients, service users and the public want in our area. Neighbourhood Health is about making it easier for people to get care and support closer to home, helping people stay well and get support earlier before problems become more serious.

Heat health alerts have started already and there’ll be more. Hot weather is now a serious issue. Significant impacts are caused by high temperatures, including:

• increased deaths, particularly of 65+ year-old, young people and anyone with health conditions
• on delivery of services
• indoor overheating effecting vulnerable people living independently and in care
• managing medicines
• staffing issues
• water-related incidents have already increased with cold-water shock and drowning.

The Measles outbreak continues in north London. Parents should get children vaccinated and check children’s vaccination status.  Up to 11 May 2026 542 English measles cases have been confirmed, 65 more since 27 April, mostly driven by the North London outbreak. Essex is next door so it could easily spread towards us.  

How extremely disappointing that the Resident Doctors are going to strike again from 0700 on 15 June to 0659 on 19^th . The new Secretary of State is unwilling to negotiate on pay, saying the union’s demands for more money were “unrealistic and unaffordable “. Is it appropriate to ask for much more than inflation when all the patients are needing improved services and many are suffering financial pressures?

727 people in East of England have had an earlier diagnosis of lung cancer thanks to the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme. Around 400 were identified through screening in Essex.

Ofsted and CQC inspected Essex SEND services. The outcome states that ‘arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and the local area partnership must work jointly to make improvements’.

In April our hospitals at Broomfield, Basildon & Southend:

• Saw 74.4% of patients within 4 hours in A&Es. That’s 6.3% up on March. The national standard is 78%; Basildon was 77.4%, Southend 72.1% and Broomfield 73.4%. Further ways to improve the flow of patients through our hospitals are being investigated.
• 31 minutes (38 in March) was the average time for ambulances to handover patients. Nationally it was 34mins; regionally 30mins.
• 62.7% (63%) of patients received cancer diagnosis results within 2 days, against the 80% standard. 54.2% received their diagnosis and started treatment within 62 days. The Trust is England’s 3^rd most improved. In February 2025 it was 35% and in February 2026 53.5%. Further improvements are being made, including speeding up test results.

A key target in the 10-Year Plan has been delivered with 8,500 extra mental health workers now in the NHS.

Our weekly newsletter includes everything we’ve published in the previous 7-days. Libraries provide online services and help with internet access. For welfare information and subscription to our newsletter, email swfhealthsocial@outlook.com or leave a voicemail on 01245 322079.  https://swfhealthsocial.co.uk/